In summertime, needy children find there's no free lunch (or breakfast) in Hunterdon

While the number of children eligible to receive free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches at school in Hunterdon is relatively small, few actually receive both meals — and none at all may be getting similar assistance during the summer.

Statewide, 402,000 children received free or reduced-price meals during the 2011-12 school year, the latest figures available, according to Lynne Richmond, state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman.

Of those, just 20% participated in either of two summer food programs, Richmond said.

In 2011-12, 1,187 Hunterdon children received a free or reduced-price lunch, about 79% of the 1,503 eligible, according to the 2013 Kids Count report recently released by Advocates for Children of New Jersey.

Those same children are eligible for free or reduced-price breakfasts but, on average, just 290 were served breakfast during the 2011-12 school year, according to Richmond.

While Hunterdon has the second-lowest rate of eligible children receiving breakfasts, second only to Sussex, the problem is statewide, Richmond said. In an attempt to highlight the problem the New Jersey commissioners of education and agriculture issued a joint plea to school districts this spring, urging them to work harder to boost the number.

The problem of Hunterdon children not receiving food assistance is even worse in the summer.

The state Department of Agriculture administers two separate programs that make free or reduced-price meals available to eligible children, but both require local participation by schools, summer camps, YMCA programs and religious organizations.

According to the state website, none of the more than 1,100 participating sites are in Hunterdon.